District 1: What have we been up to?

It is a practice in the District 1 office that employees document their activities each day as they return from various work sites. Not only does this documentation indicate that county employees have been working for you but the information has proven helpful in seeking
reimbursement for emergency repairs through state and federal programs.

While this information provides tangible evidence of work in the field, sometimes administrative tasks behind the scene are less obvious. However, it requires both to provide quality service to county residents. Here’s a glimpse into this week’s activities in District 1, as well as ongoing tasks.

Monday morning’s schedule included meetings of the Board of Tax Roll Corrections and the Board of Logan County Commissioners. The BOCC agenda contained not only routine items but also the appointment of a member to the Cashion 522 EMS Board and the signing of an interlocal agreement with the City of Guthrie for one-time maintenance on the road to the gun range. This facility is used by both city and county law enforcement officials.

The interlocal agreement is the fourth between the county and the city recently. I have certainly appreciated city manager Matt Mueller and his willingness to work with the county to enable various improvements in the area. I am sorry he is leaving us and wish him the very best at his new job in Texas.

Thursday’s agenda included a meeting at the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) and was in regard to comprehensive economic development for Oklahoma. A review of the calendar indicates that in an average month it is not uncommon for there to be between 10 and 15 meetings to attend. These include three regularly scheduled Board of County Commissioner meetings, two Circuit Engineering Board meetings, three or more meetings at ACOG, a meeting of the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma, occasional meetings with ODOT, meetings related to Workforce of Oklahoma and a variety of others. That is why I appreciate and rely on staff and the road crew to assist in daily operations.

Some of the crew’s duties this week included blading the detour route for the Broadway Bridge project and preparing to stabilize road base on portions of Seward where drought has created sand pits.

Crew also installed a culvert on Forest Hills Road between Maple Ridge and Oakwood Drive, widened the road, reworked drainage and added gravel to the area, with more to be applied.

Additional activities included mowing and completing asphalt work on Broadway north of Hwy 33, thanks to the help of Commissioner Monty Piearcy and his crew who provided machinery, time and assistance with this task. There is still guardrail to install and clean up work to perform on this project.

The crew have also cut back trees on Academy Rd. north of Lakewood Drive and north of Seward and Academy in an effort to open up roadways for safety and visibility, and have performed maintenance on the District 1 dozer, trackhoe, backhoe and tractor. Areas of Simmons and Simpson from Sooner to Broadway were patched, and Academy was mowed
from Hwy 33 to Seward and Prairie Grove from Academy to Broadway. Most of this work was performed in triple digit heat.

Staff has also been coordinating with ODOT, our engineering company and the firm we are preparing to contract with to move forward on the Coltrane paving project. A plan-in-hand meeting for several pavement marking and guardrail projects funded through ACOG is scheduled for next week and preparations are underway to submit grant applications for roadway funding through the REAP program.

And as always, routine work continues; conducting traffic counts, maintaining records, making repairs, communicating with the public and government officials. All in a week’s work…. Let us know if we be of help to you.